Bread & Butter: Odalisque Cafe shaping up to be a work of art

Odalisque Café — the long-awaited cafe inside the historic building that houses Art Works Downtown in San Rafael — is poised for a pre-opening preview from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 12 during San Rafael's Second Friday's Art Walk.

The grand opening is planned during Art Works Downtown's Open Studios from Nov. 7 to 9.

"Improvisation is required to create an exciting and vibrant environment, says architect and chef Jay Yinger of San Anselmo, who worked at Berkeley's Chez Panisse, founded and built Andalou Restaurant and has put his architectural touch on many notable restaurants as part of Pat Kuleto's design team. "My aim is for each guest at Odalisque Café to experience the feeling that they are at the center of the universe — if only for a little while."

Yinger plans a menu of decidedly California with Mediterranean influences. Small plates ($7 to $15) will include a lamb slider with local grass-fed lamb, Moroccan spices on flatbread with yogurt-aioli or grilled figs wrapped in prosciutto with aged balsamico. Large plates ($14 to $24) will include wood-grilled local salmon with basil-lemon glazed crookneck squash or leg of lamb kabob with onions, peppers, yogurt and mint sauce.

Initially, Odalisque Café will open at 5 to 11 p.m.; hours will eventually expand to include a European-style breakfast from 8 a.m. a few weeks after.

Artist Lisa Long of San Anselmo is the dining room manager and co-owner, San Rafael's Dwight Bandak is also co-owner in the cafe. Odalisque Café is at 1335 Fourth St. in San Rafael. Call 460-1335 or go to www.odalisquecafe.com.

Meaty opening

"We saved the best for first," jokes Anya Fernald, head of Belcampo Meat Co., which is opening its first store in Larkspur's Marin Country Mart on Nov. 5.

Belcampo Meat Co. is known for using a high-tech system that tracks for quality from the farm, where animals are sustainably raised, to the retail outlet. Meat is sourced from the company's own ranch in Siskiyou County, with additional vegetable and dairy products sourced locally and just a few products such as rum, coffee and cacao sourced from the company's Belize location.

The store will offer all sorts of meats, such as beef, lamb, pork, goat, rabbit, chicken and quail, as well as pre-prepared menu items.

The sit-down restaurant will feature dishes that may include cast-iron sausages with pickles and mustard, white bean and quail salad and South American-style skirt steak with chimichurri ranging from $4 to $25. Vegetarian options will also be available.

There will be seating for 30 inside with more outdoors; hours will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Deer Park Villa has a lot to celebrate. The longest family-owned restaurant in Marin — spanning four generations and 75 years in the Ghiringhelli family — is also marking 90 years at the site. To celebrate, there will be live music, complimentary wine and tastings from its Steakhouse Grill & Bar at 6 p.m. Oct. 17.

Reservations are recommended for those who would like to dine as well.

Sausalito's Emily Luchetti, the James Beard Award-winning pastry chef of Waterbar and Farallon restaurants and chair of the board of trustees of the James Beard Foundation, will be speaking at the third annual Food Conference of the James Beard Foundation in New York City.

The Oct. 17 and 18 conference brings together companies and consumers in conversation about trust in the food system. "Consumers have the right to know and need to know how their food is made — their health depends on it," says Luchetti, dean of the International Culinary Center. "Food purveyors need to be honest and communicate with their customers where their products are from and how they are made. Then they can make choices as to what to buy,"

Luchetti will also introduce keynote speaker Rick Bayless. Can't be in New York? Listen live online at www.jbffood conference.org.

Gold for this blue

Congratulations to Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. for taking the gold for its newest cheese, the Bay Blue at the 2012 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisc. The Bay Blue had a near-perfect score of 99.25, taking the first place/best of class award.

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. is at 14700 Highway One in Point Reyes Station. Call 800-591-6878 or go to www.pointreyescheese.com.